A Strategy for Stopping the Cold War Between the U.S. and China

Posted: November 27th, 2019

By Joseph DeTrani

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani is former Special envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea and the U.S. Representative to the Korea Energy Development Organization (KEDO), as well as former CIA director of East Asia Operations. He also served as the Associate Director of National Intelligence and Mission Manager for North Korea and the Director of the National Counter Proliferation Center, while also serving as a Special Adviser to the Director of National Intelligence. He currently serves on the Board of Managers at Sandia National Laboratories. The views expressed represent those of the author.

OPINION — Many in the United States and China believe that we’re in a cold war and that conflict is inevitable. If true, that would be tragic not only for the United States and China, but for the world. More must be done now to ensure that this does not happen; that U.S.-China bilateral relations cease its current downward spiral and move in a more positive direction.

The Nixon 1972 visit to China was a bold and brilliant move. The visit was welcomed by Mao Zedong who, since 1965, was hoping to improve relations with the United States, in part to mitigate the existential threat from an aggressive Soviet Union.

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